


'Public Humiliation' for Kink Bingo

by Miko



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-03
Updated: 2010-08-03
Packaged: 2017-10-21 08:35:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/223176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miko/pseuds/Miko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bet is a bet, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	'Public Humiliation' for Kink Bingo

The book that Bookman had lent him was fascinating, a diary written by a samurai during the Thousand Years war. Kanda had never heard of the man, but considering the source he was willing to bet it was a genuine artefact. Under other circumstances he might have been completely absorbed by it.

'Other circumstances' being defined as 'not having Lavi in the room'. The loudmouth was chattering away a mile a minute, teasing Johnny, Reever, and the rest of the scientists present into laughing as well. The sounds of merriment were a little fragile, but the gaping holes where their lost comrades had once sat were still too obvious for laughter to come easily. Unfortunately that just seemed to make Lavi determined to work harder at it.

It still wouldn't have been so bad if the moron hadn't been bound and determined to include Kanda, as well. "C'mon, Yuu, lighten up, will ya?" the redhead said, poking him repeatedly on one shoulder. "Get your nose outta the book and actually talk t'the rest of us, for once."

"Why would I want to waste my time doing that?" Kanda snapped, glaring at him. Lavi just grinned and kept poking him, and Kanda growled. Not for the first time he debated going to Komui and demanding that his room be finished _now_ , not later, so he had somewhere to escape everyone. Private quarters were a low priority for the new Headquarters, or so he'd been told. The longer he was forced to share space with Lavi, the less Kanda cared about the Order's priorities.

"You're stuck with us, y'might as well enjoy it," Lavi told him. "I bet you'd even have fun if you let yourself. We're not the enemy, after all."

"No, you're not the enemy," Kanda agreed sourly. "Just an annoying, idiotic, loud-mouthed moron. I'd rather deal with the enemy. At least I can kill them without anyone objecting."

"Hey, I'm not a loudmouth," Lavi protested, laughing. If Kanda's insults bothered him he showed no sign of it, as usual. Kanda hadn't really expected him to, but it would have been a nice surprise.

"Of all the things I just called you, _that's_ the one you choose to argue?" Kanda rolled his eyes. "You couldn't keep your mouth shut for five minutes if your life depended on it."

"Wanna bet?" There was a dangerous gleam in Lavi's eye, and the quality of his grin changed. Kanda eyed him warily, sensing a trap but not sure where the tripwire was.

"Bet on what, your ability to keep your mouth shut? On what terms?" Kanda asked. He was fairly certain he would win any such bet – short of being asleep, he'd never yet seen Lavi go without talking for more than a few breaths. On the other hand the idiot was far too smug.

"Fifteen minutes, and if I win, you have to wear a pretty dress for the rest of the day," Lavi challenged him, to muffled snickers from the others in the room. "You might as well be _proper_ eyecandy, if you're gonna be the second hottest Exorcist in the Order. After Lenalee, of course."

His grin was wide enough that Kanda thought he could probably put his fist through it. He was tempted to try, but restrained himself with an effort. He was getting very tired of the idiot making that particular joke. If Kanda lost a bet like that, Lavi would _never_ let him live it down. Was fifteen minutes of silence really worth the risk?

Then again, all he really had to do was up the ante. "Twenty minutes, and if I win, you have to do anything and everything I tell you to for the rest of the day," Kanda replied, leaning back and crossing his arms with a smirk of his own.

Lavi raised an eyebrow, but his smug grin didn't slip an inch. "Done, starting on my mark," he replied instantly. The eagerness of his response worried Kanda a little, but he still thought Lavi was overconfident. "Don't think any of Lenalee's dresses will fit you, which is a shame," Lavi continued, eyeing Kanda significantly. "Might have to see if Miranda can whip something up for you."

"Are you going to start, or just keep proving my point for me by continuing to blab?" Kanda asked, making his tone as acidic as he could. This time he was the one who won snickers from their observers.

Lavi made a dramatic zipping motion across his mouth, and gave Kanda a thumb's up. Immediately the others started teasing him, asking leading questions or trying to provoke him into making some noise. Kanda returned to his book, pleased. In some ways this was noisier than Lavi's conversation had been, but when he won the bet he would be able to order the moron out of his presence for the whole rest of the day.

Despite himself he kept sneaking peeks at the redhead over the pages of his book, checking to make certain Lavi wasn't cheating somehow. Lavi grinned wider every time he caught Kanda at it, which only made Kanda scowl the harder.

The first five minutes passed without so much as a peep from Lavi, though he did take to making comical miming gestures, warding off the attempts of the others to trick him into talking. Eventually people stopped trying so hard and returned to their earlier conversations, though someone did announce when ten minutes had gone by. Lavi settled back in his chair, watching with an oddly quirked smile on his face. Kanda forced himself to stop looking, telling himself that he wasn't worried in the least. It would never last.

At the fifteen minute mark Kanda gave up trying to concentrate on his reading, staring narrowly at Lavi. The moron just wiggled his fingers in acknowledgement of Kanda's regard, his grin widening again and the look in his eye mocking.

The door opened and Lenalee poked her head in, smiling when she spotted them all. "Hey, guys," she said, stepping in and coming to join them at the tables. "Jeryy just made fresh chocolate chip cookies! I stole some, but I can't eat them all myself so I thought I'd share. They're still warm! Who wants one?"

Lavi perked and sat up, holding his hands in front of him like a dog's paws as he made a pleading expression at Lenalee. She giggled and shook her head. "If you want some, you just have to ask," she said.

"He can't," Reever said, chuckling. "He's got a bet on with Kanda. He's still got..." he checked his watch. "Three minutes. Too bad the cookies will be cold by then. May I?" he added, and Lenalee nodded with another giggle. Reever made a production of taking a cookie and biting into it with an appreciative sound.

Others started clamouring for their share, and Lenalee handed out cookies to everyone who asked. Lavi drooped visibly and his expression grew more and more pathetic, but to Kanda's frustration he didn't so much as whimper.

Finally there was only one cookie left, and Lenalee held it up, considering. Lavi poked his lip out in an exaggerated pout, and she giggled again. "Oh, all right. I suppose I can take pity on you. Here." She handed the cookie to Lavi, who made a kissing gesture at her and bit into it happily. "What's the bet about, anyway?"

Kanda relaxed, seeing his salvation present itself at last. "I bet that he couldn't keep his mouth shut, and he just lost," he said smugly. Lavi nearly choked on the bite he'd just taken. He swallowed and stared at Kanda in surprise. Kanda smirked back at him. "You had to open your mouth to eat the cookie."

"Wha... _hey_ , that's not fair," Lavi burst out, incensed. "You _meant_ that I wasn't allowed to talk."

"Which you just did, rendering the whole point moot," Kanda pointed out, as close to gleeful as he ever got.

Lavi blinked, then groaned and buried his face in his hands, as everyone else started to laugh. After a moment Lavi began to chuckle as well, and his expression was ruefully amused when he looked at Kanda again. "All right, y'got me fair and square, Yuu," he agreed. "I s'ppose you want me outta your hair for the day or something?"

That had been Kanda's plan, but now that he'd won the victory he found he wanted to savour it. "No, I think you need to be taught a more lasting lesson." _Now_ Lavi looked nervous, which made Kanda feel better. "Considering what you were planning to inflict on me, that seems only fair."

"Now, Yuu, you know I wouldn't have gone _too_ far, right?" Lavi said, laughing uneasily and raising his hands in a gesture of warding.

"I know no such thing," Kanda retorted. "Quite the opposite, I'm sure. Since you were doing such a good impression of a dog for Lenalee just now, why don't you keep going? Sit." He pointed at the floor next to him, his smirk widening.

More snickers and giggles broke out as Lavi heaved a dramatic sigh and hauled himself out of his chair, moving around the tables to sit next to Kanda on the floor. He even sat so he was kneeling with his hands on the ground, playing along by taking the posture of a dog. "So are you gonna..."

Kanda cut him off with a sharp gesture. "Dogs don't speak," he reminded the other man.

Lavi rolled his eyes. "Woof," he muttered. Then he paused and grinned again, and raised his volume. "Woof. Yap, yap. Woof! Woo..."

"Do you _really_ want me to discipline you like a dog, too?" Kanda asked, and Lavi shut up in mid-bark, looking sheepish. Lenalee had her hand over her mouth, but her shining eyes betrayed the fact that she was laughing just as hard as the science division members.

Satisfied at last, Kanda settled down to read his book again.

* * *

Kanda had expected Lavi to get bored and start complaining within minutes, and he'd spent a few pleasant moments devising possible punishments for him. Then he'd gotten truly caught up in his book, and honestly forgot the younger Bookman was even there.

It wasn't until Lavi nudged his leg and gave a convincing imitation of a dog's pathetic whine that Kanda remembered his companion. Surprised, he glanced up to see that everyone else had left the room. Lavi was sprawled out beside him, making pleading eyes at him.

"What?" Kanda asked automatically. Lavi rolled his eyes and whimpered again, reminding Kanda that he'd ordered the redhead not to speak. A moment later his stomach growled loudly, answering the question for him anyway.

"Is it dinner already?" Kanda was surprised, but now that he was paying attention he realized he was hungry as well. "Huh. Too bad I can't do this all the time. I think this is by far the most pleasant afternoon I've ever spent in your company."

Lavi made a rude noise, which Kanda chose to overlook. Kanda stood and stretched, then looked down at the other man. A mocking smile spread over his face. "I suppose you've been a good enough boy to deserve some food, but it would be rude to take my dog out without a leash."

Lavi gave a huge, put-upon sigh. Kanda just smirked as he unwound the cord sash he wore at his waist. It was nice to be able to turn the tables on the irritating bastard for a change. Deftly Kanda slipped one end of the cord around Lavi's throat, and tied it securely. He checked to make sure it wouldn't go tight if pulled on; he fully intended to haul on the leash, but he didn't want to choke Lavi to death. Well, not _really_.

Satisfied, he gripped the long end of the cord and tugged. "Heel," he commanded smugly, and headed for the door.

Lavi made one attempt to scramble to his feet, which Kanda responded to by yanking hard enough to pull him off balance again. Lavi growled under his breath, but Kanda ignored it. For the first time he understood why Lavi was so impervious to Kanda's snarls and glares. They just made the whole thing even more entertaining. Not to mention satisfying.

There weren't too many people in the halls, but everyone they did encounter stopped short and gaped at the sight of Lavi crawling along at Kanda's side. To give Lavi credit he carried it off with flair. He grinned and nodded at everyone who stared, acting for all the world as if it was perfectly normal for him to behave this way. Only the faint flush on his cheeks betrayed his embarrassment.

Waves of badly stifled laughter met them as they entered the cafeteria. "I didn't know we were allowed to have pets," Allen called, grinning. Clearly the story of the bet had been making the rounds.

"Aw, he's so cute," Miranda cooed, the sugary voice she was trying for somewhat ruined by the choked laughter beneath it. "I've never seen a breed like that, what is he?"

"Just a mutt," Bookman said, unexpectedly joining in the fun. Lavi made dramatic whimpering noises and clutched at his chest, then grinned and flipped his master off.

"Bad dog," Kanda said, jerking on the leash again and smothering his own amusement. This was more fun than he'd expected it to be.

By the time they reached the food window, the last of the shocked stares had turned into muffled snickers. Jeryy handed Kanda a tray with his usual assortment of sushi, but there were also two wide, shallow bowls. One was filled with water, and the other with meat and potato scraps. "For your cute little puppy," Jeryy said, grinning down at Lavi.

Instead of searching for the emptiest, most out of the way corner, for once Kanda deliberately sat in a crowded area. The scientists willingly shuffled down to make room for him at the end of the table, so Lavi could sit on the floor next to him. Kanda smirked as he leaned over and placed the food and water bowls on the floor. "Good dog, you can eat now," he taunted.

Lavi's face was now red enough to clash with his hair, but he only sighed and obediently leaned over to try to eat his dinner. Nobody was even attempting to stifle their laughter anymore, calling out encouragements of 'good dog' and 'pretty puppy'.

Kanda was hungry, but he found himself spending more time watching Lavi than eating himself. Lavi didn't have a dog's long and flexible tongue, of course, or an extended muzzle. As a result he was forced to make an absolute mess of himself as he shoved his face into the food. The emptier the bowls got, the harder it was for him to get at the contents. By the time he'd eaten as much as he could, even the back of his neck and ears were bright red. Kanda didn't think he'd ever seen someone look so embarrassed.

It was thrilling. For _once_ Kanda had the upper hand against the bastard. He wished he could do this every day. As he watched Lavi make an idiot of himself, he wondered how far he could push things.

One thing was certain. Lavi humiliated and on his knees was a memory he planned to savour for a long time to come.

* * *

Lavi fought the urge to squirm, sitting on his haunches at Kanda's side while the other man finished his dinner. He could feel the heat on his face and knew he had to be blushing bright red. It wasn't something he often did involuntarily, but he had no control over the reflex now.

At least nobody would think it was in any way suspicious. All around him people continued to laugh and tease him, all of it good-natured but still intended to embarrass him. The teasing Lavi could handle. It was his own reaction to being forced to abase himself like this that made his blush genuine. Every laugh and giggle, every sly glance and comment, and especially every smirk and order from Kanda made the ache in his groin a little bit worse. Lavi had never been this hard before in his life.

He wasn't sure just what exactly was turning him on so badly. It wasn't the makeshift collar and leash itself, or any specific thing Kanda had made him do. It was just something about his powerlessness to stop it from happening, or maybe the satisfied gleam in Kanda's eyes every time he looked at Lavi.

For the moment his problem was hidden by the fact that he was on his hands and knees, but if anybody noticed he was going to be humiliated for _real_. He shifted slightly, trying to ease the tightness in his pants where they strained against his erection. He eyed the water bowl, but the effort of getting any more water out of it would only provoke more laughter, and leave him worse off than when he'd started.

Without meaning to he sighed, and was startled to feel fingers threading through his hair. When he looked up he discovered that Kanda was _petting_ him, smirking all the while. "Something wrong, puppy?" Kanda taunted him.

Lavi bit his lip to stifle a groan, and it came out as a whimper instead. At least that was in keeping with his act. Having Kanda touch him like that made the whole thing exponentially worse. Lavi swallowed hard, fighting the temptation to butt his head against the other man's hand like a real dog would, just to prolong the contact. Or better yet, roll over on his back and beg for belly rubs.

Well, something _near_ his belly, anyway.

Then Kanda actually _scratched behind his ears_ , and Lavi couldn't take any more. He ducked his head to get out from under the touch, and glared up at Kanda. "Yuu..."

"Dogs don't talk," Kanda cut him off, his smirk widening.

Inspiration struck. "Yeah, well, dogs also get _walked_ a couple times a day," Lavi muttered, keeping his voice low enough that nobody but Kanda would be able to hear him. "Unless making me piss my pants is part of your strategic humiliation plan?" He met Kanda's gaze squarely. He didn't really have to go that badly, but with a bit of privacy in the washroom he'd be able to take care of the obvious signs of his arousal.

Kanda raised an eyebrow like he was actually considering it, the bastard. Lavi ground his teeth and waited. He didn't _think_ Kanda would go that far, but then again he was getting even for an awful lot of things Lavi had done to him in the past. In the end, though, Kanda nodded. "Three minutes."

"Thank y... what?" Lavi did a double-take, staring at him. "Yuu, it'll take me that long just to get to the bathroom and back!"

"Then I suggest you run," Kanda said smugly, and made little shooing motions. "Two minutes, forty seconds."

Cursing under his breath, Lavi scrambled to his feet and headed out of the room at a dead run. There was no way he was going to have time to take care of his problem, no matter how fast he ran, but he also couldn't say he'd changed his mind without making Kanda suspicious.

He did use the bathroom, because he was going to have to at some point and he didn't think he'd be able to convince Kanda to let him off the leash - literally - a second time. It was difficult to go with his cock aching with need, and Lavi had to grit his teeth against the urge to touch himself. He really didn't want to find out what Kanda would do to him if he was late.

Running back to the cafeteria, Lavi could hear the sound of chanting from several feet away. It wasn't until he opened the door that he realized people were counting down. Cheers and boos broke out in equal volume as people realized he'd returned.

He skidded to a halt at Yuu's side just as the count reached three, and dropped down to sit on the floor again. He clenched his fists in his lap, hoping nobody had noticed the awkward state of his body while he was standing. Lavi was panting, and his ragged breathing showed no signs of calming. It had very little to do with his brief run.

To his mingled pleasure and dismay, Kanda started petting him again. The smirk on the other Exorcist's face clearly said that he was doing it because he thought it was embarrassing Lavi. Which it was, just not quite the way Kanda thought it was. "Good dog," Kanda said, his voice a satisfied purr that made Lavi have to bite down on another groan.

By the time dinner was over, Lavi was in agony. When Kanda stood and tugged on the leash Lavi crawled after him with a muffled whimper. It hurt to move, and the process of getting through the halls only made it worse.

Their dormitory room was empty when they reached it, everyone else still out socializing or performing assigned tasks. Lavi wasn't sure whether to be grateful or not. Witnesses made it worse, but they also eased the temptation to simply jump Kanda and have done with it.

"Sit," Kanda ordered again, pointing to the floor beside the chair where he'd been reading earlier.

With a soft whimper Lavi curled up next to it, tucking his knees against his chest and burying his overheated face in his arms. Maybe if he didn't have to see Kanda smirking at him, he would survive the rest of this bet. He wasn't counting on it, though. At the rate he was going, he was going to come in his damned pants the moment Kanda petted him again.

To his surprise, Kanda didn't immediately sit down. Lavi could sense his presence, hovering over him. Fervently Lavi prayed Kanda wasn't devising some new, more inventive way to embarrass him.

"Are you okay?" Kanda asked after a moment. He sounded reluctant, but even so the show of concern shocked Lavi. He looked up to find Kanda frowning down at him.

Lavi opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated when he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be talking. Kanda made an impatient gesture, which Lavi took as permission to speak. "I'll be fine," he said, wincing as his voice came out hoarse.

Kanda's frown only deepened. "You're lying," he said. "Something is really bothering you."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Lavi countered. "To embarrass me into silence, and maybe make it so awful that I'd never be tempted to tease you again? Congratulations, it's working."

"So you're saying you'll never tease me again?" Kanda sounded sceptical.

Chuckling, Lavi had to concede the point. "Well, no. You're just so damned cute when you go all growly and flail at me. It's hard to resist."

To his surprise, Kanda snorted and looked both amused and rueful. "I finally understand why you do it," he muttered. "Humiliating you is... fun. I'll just have to find excuses to do it more often."

"Oh God, please," Lavi mumbled, burying his face in his knees again as he felt his cheeks go hotter still. As horribly embarrassing as the whole thing had been - not to mention _frustrating_ as hell - he knew he'd willingly throw any bet Kanda ever made with him in the future, just to get a chance to experience it again.

"Hmph. Serves you right," Kanda said, obviously mistaking Lavi's reaction for one of horror. He settled into his seat and picked up the book he'd been reading earlier.

Resigned to his suffering, Lavi shifted so he was a bit more comfortable, and settled in next to him. When Kanda started absently petting him again, he even managed not to moan, just letting his head rest on his knees and struggling to control his breathing. The feel of slender fingers carding through his hair was pleasant, and if he were a real dog his tail would have been thumping two hundred beats a minute. Instead it felt like his heart was going about that fast.

When they'd been alone in the room earlier, Lavi had amused himself by going over the records in his head, reminding himself exactly what that book had said and which parts were inaccurate. Now he couldn't seem to summon the concentration to think about anything but how hard he was. At least in the dining room he'd had the distraction of all the teasing. Here there was only Kanda, who was completely absorbed in his book.

That thought made Lavi hesitate. The other man really was _totally_ wrapped up in the journal, partly because it was just that fascinating and partly because he was probably having to think hard to translate the ancient Japanese dialect it was written in. He would certainly notice if Lavi actually got up and walked out or even tried to sneak off, but as long as Lavi remained in place and stayed quiet, Kanda probably wouldn't even remember he was there. Just like before dinner.

Slowly, an inch at a time, Lavi worked his hand between his knees and his body. It was a struggle to keep his breathing steady. He bit his lip hard enough that he tasted copper, and managed not to make a sound when he was finally able to squeeze his aching cock through his pants. It _hurt_ , he was so hard, but it hurt so good.

He pressed his palm down and rubbed slowly, careful not to make any movements that might be noticeable. If he'd been using his normal quick, hard strokes he'd have come in about thirty seconds flat. Drawing it out was pure torture, but it was better than not getting any relief at all. His cock jumped and twitched beneath his hand, the rough material of his pants scraping over the sensitive flesh with every pass. It took every bit of discipline he had to keep from gasping for air or rocking his hips up into his hand.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Lavi froze, horrified and agonized, seconds away from orgasm. The blush that swept over his face this time was painfully genuine and possibly the worst he could ever remember blushing. Including earlier that night, and that was saying something. So much for Kanda not noticing.

When he hesitantly looked up, however, he found Kanda frowning at him in apparent concern rather than scowling in disgust. "Wh-what?" Lavi asked, cursing himself for the betraying stammer.

"You're shaking," Kanda observed, his frown deepening. "And you're curled up even tighter than before. Are you _crying_?" He sounded incredulous, and just the tiniest bit guilty. "I haven't made you suffer any worse than you were planning to do to me!"

Lavi nearly choked on a rather hysterical laugh. He changed it into a cough, hoping Kanda wouldn't realize. Who knew Kanda would actually feel guilty about driving Lavi to tears? Though Lavi was a little insulted that Kanda thought he could be broken _that_ easily. " _No,_ I'm not crying," he said. It would have been a good excuse, but his pride wouldn't let him take it.

"Then what the hell is wrong?" Kanda repeated, exasperated. "Tell me the truth, damn it. Consider it an order."

"Oh, you bastard, you _would_ ," Lavi muttered, banging his forehead against his knees. But he'd made a bet, and he wouldn't welsh on it. An order was an order. "Fine. God damn it. I was trying to get off without you noticing, since you didn't give me enough time to do it in the bathroom. Happy?"

The gobsmacked look on Kanda's face was priceless. Under other circumstances, Lavi would have enjoyed it. "You. What?" He sounded like he was certain he'd misheard.

"I said, I'm trying to jerk off, since you've been fucking _cock-teasing me_ all God damned night," Lavi repeated with exaggerated patience. He was trembling, his hand still pressed hard on his erection, fighting the need to push just that little bit further and send himself over the edge.

" _I've_ been teasing you," Kanda repeated flatly. "By what, humiliating you?"

If it wasn't physically impossible, Lavi would have bet that he'd just gone redder still. He met Kanda's eyes defiantly, daring the other man to call him perverted or sick. Kanda just stared back at him, with the most shocked and bewildered expression Lavi had ever seen. When he said nothing more, Lavi swallowed hard. What the hell. Kanda already knew what he was up to.

With a deliberate motion he wrapped his fingers around his cock as best he could and stroked, keeping his eyes locked on Kanda's all the while. He was so close now that it barely took two strokes before his whole body convulsed and he came so hard he practically saw stars. He couldn't stop his eyes from sliding closed, and the faintest whimper escaped him as he shook with the force of his orgasm.

If Kanda said anything in the next few seconds, Lavi missed it. It took him a moment to become aware of the room again. Panting softly, he opened his eyes and saw Kanda still sitting there frozen, gaping at him. Lavi gave him a wry smile, and waited for the bomb to explode.

Abruptly Kanda stood and left the room, book still clutched forgotten in his hand. Lavi stared after him, caught completely by surprise. That was _not_ the response he'd expected. Yelling, disgust, even bloodshed would have been anticipated responses, but this was weird.

He waited, but Kanda didn't return. After a while Lavi moved to clean himself up, changing into his pyjamas since his pants were a mess. It was almost time to sleep, anyway. He pulled the cord off his neck and sat on his bunk, staring at it in his hands, wondering what he was supposed to do now. Had he grossed Kanda out so thoroughly the other man didn't even want to look at him now? Would Kanda _tell_ everyone? Maybe that was what he was doing right now, letting everyone know how twisted Lavi was.

When the door opened Lavi looked up apprehensively, but it was only some of the others returning for the night. "Hey, Lavi, did he let you off the leash early?" Reever joked when he saw Lavi sitting there. "Time off for good behaviour?"

"He sure managed to get the most out of that bet, didn't he?" Johnny said, and his smile was a little more genuine than it had been earlier that day. "You did kinda deserve it, though."

Lavi relaxed marginally. If Kanda was spreading stories about him, these guys hadn't heard them yet. It wasn't really the sort of thing Kanda would do, anyway. He wasn't given to talking at all, let alone spreading nasty gossip.

Kanda returned not too much later. He paused in the doorway, looking at Lavi like he wanted to say something, but the presence of the others obviously put him off. He didn't look angry or horrified, at least, which Lavi counted as a small victory.

"Y'forgot this," Lavi said softly, holding out the cord in one hand. With his eyes he offered a silent apology. He hadn't meant to disturb Kanda that badly.

Kanda glanced at the cord, then at him. Slowly he shook his head. "Keep it," he said, his voice a touch huskier than usual. "You'll need it the next time you lose a bet to me, anyway. I'm sure it won't take long."

Blinking, Lavi looked at him again, and reassessed his estimation of the other Exorcist's reaction. Kanda was just the faintest bit flushed himself, and his breathing wasn't quite even. Suddenly his abrupt exit took on a whole different meaning. Lavi's mood underwent a sharp upward swing, and a slow smile spread over his face. "Don't count on it, Yuu," he said, because he couldn't admit just how thrilled he was to hear that. "I ain't gonna make it easy for you."

"We'll see," Kanda said, and stalked over to his own bunk. He paused before settling in, and looked down at Lavi. The heat in his eyes was enough to make Lavi shiver in response. "Good dog." His mocking tone almost covered the hint of a question beneath it. Probably nobody but Lavi could hear it.

Lavi let out his breath and nodded just the tiniest bit, enough so that Kanda would see it but the others probably wouldn't notice. He grinned as he clutched the cord in his hand. Now he just had to hope that whatever Kanda chose to bet on next time, it wouldn't be too hard for Lavi to lose.


End file.
